


A Tail of Stockholm Syndrome

by jsuislfrost



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, Mermaid Nico, Multi, Pirate Will, Pirate!AU, Stockholm Syndrome, basically Solangelo pirates and mermaids, mermaid!au, mermaids and pirates, solangelo, willco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-03-10 07:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3282551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsuislfrost/pseuds/jsuislfrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Purpose misspell. Stockholme Syndrome: falling for/sympathising with your kidnapper. - Nico di Angelo never imagined he'd be captured by pirates. Will Solace never imagined he'd actually find a merman. When sea hero and sea scurvy find themselves on opposite ends of the scale, a dose of Stockholme Syndrome vows to bring them together.</p><p>(was moonshroom420)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flying Merman

**Chapter 1:**

**Flying Merman**

Nico was wondering what the big-ass ship that was parked in his surface area was still doing there.

Don’t get him wrong, he liked having it nearby, but he was starting to wonder why it hadn’t sailed off yet. Usually every ship that came near Half-Blood City didn’t stay longer than a day, anchoring for the night before moving off in the morning. But this boat, _The Apollo,_ had been floating above the underwater metropolis for at least a week.

Only Nico and his friends bothered with it. They were intrigued by the human ship, swimming around it and peeking in the submerged portholes. Every time they looked there was something different in the rooms. One day, Nico’s friend Percy had suggested they make a hole in one of the windows and go in for a proper explore. Percy’s girlfriend, Annabeth, had told him he was a giant Seaweed Brain and that the boat would sink if they smashed a window in it.

For clarity reasons, Nico, Percy and Annabeth were both mermen and mermaid respectively.

Nico di Angelo, son of Hades – one of the Big Three who ruled Half-Blood City with his colleagues – was a beautiful merman by social standards. He was pale as moonlight with dark brown eyes and inky black hair that floated around his head in a dark halo. His head was ringed with a circlet of black pearls and grey metal, signifying him as a Prince of the Three. His tail, ear and elbow fins were as black as his hair and glittered like stolen onyx and silver whenever sunlight hit the scales. He was thin but muscly, as were all the mermen and maids that attended Chiron’s Academy, where they were taught how to handle weapons, harness their powers, and went on quests to kill the monsters that threatened the city. They were educated in the language of humans.

Nico was technically only a merteen, having existed for just sixteen years. Percy and Annabeth were a year older at seventeen.

Percy’s tail was as sea-green as his eyes and could easily blend in with the seaweed farms. He had messy black hair and a nice tan that made him beyond popular at the Academy. He was a son of Poseidon, another one of the Big Three, along with Hades and another merman named Zeus. He was funny and nice, but an idiot a lot of the time. That’s why he and Annabeth were perfect for each other.

Annabeth was a pretty mermaid with a borderline grey/light blue tail and piercing grey eyes. Her hair was blond and curly and she was the smartest around after her mother, Athena. Once upon a time Nico had been envious of Annabeth because he had a crush on Percy, but he was past that now. Fancying someone of the same gender didn’t matter to the residents of Half-Blood City, as each merman was able to reproduce just as well as mermaids. They were all gender-equal under the sea.

* * *

 

Nico, Percy and Annabeth were hanging around _The Apollo_ again. They’d all just come back from a quest into the wider ocean and they’d been given three days off before they returned to the Academy. Their other friends were going to meet up with them later in New Rome, which was the shopping district.

“I want to have another look,” Nico suddenly said. Percy and Annabeth glanced at him.

“Where?” Annabeth demanded. “In Percy’s room? You _know_ that’s a bad idea.”

“Hey!” Percy objected. He pouted at his girlfriend. Annabeth smirked at him and waved a hand, bubbles flying off her fingers.

“Where did you want to look, Nico,” she repeated. Nico pointed up at the ship.

“At the surface,” he replied. His cheeks blushed a light pink as he continued, “it’s a lot prettier during the day.”

Percy grinned at him and made a begging motion with his hands.

“Yes, yes, yes! Please, Annabeth!” He started swimming circles around the daughter of Athena and she crossed her arms.

“Mum says that the boat’s a bad sign,” she said. Nico groaned. He’d heard this before. Like, fifty times. “It’s been anchored in the reef for over a week now and the people are getting suspicious.”

“Of what. They’re probably just those human soldier guys again,” Nico argued. Annabeth shook her head.

“Or they’re on the other end of the scale,” she said. “They could be pirates.”

“Well we wouldn’t know, would we?” Nico retorted. “We’ve only ever been up to check it out at night!”

Annabeth sighed.

“They could be hunters,” she said wearily. Percy’s head was going back and forth between his girlfriend and his best friend and only now did he break in.

“Then they’re a threat, right?” he asked. “And as heroes it’s our duty to get rid of them.”

“Percy, we’re on leave,” Annabeth reminded him.

“Fine then.” Percy threw his hands up through the water. “Let’s play Touch-Tail instead.”

Nico wasn’t ready to let go of the subject, but no merman, maid or teen could turn down a game of Touch-Tail. It was basically gang-up tag where you had to flick another player’s tail to make them ‘it’.

“Sure,” Annabeth agreed. Nico nodded as his way of approving and he suddenly dove down and brushed his fingers against Percy’s fins.

“You’re up!” he crowed, before he started racing off. Percy howled in annoyance and sped off after him, his tail flapping madly to catch up. Nico smirked over his shoulder as Percy slowly started gaining on him.

Suddenly finding himself with a burst of speed, Nico felt the water shred over his body as he unexpectedly changed directions, heading for the surface. He’d gone far enough away from the ship so he couldn’t be seen by the naked eye. Nico felt his head break through the top of the water, followed by his torso and then tail. The sea wind greeted him and he closed his eyes happily, drinking it in, before he started falling back to the water. Nico streamlined his body and dove hands-first into the ocean, shooting past Percy and laughing bubbles in his face.

* * *

 

Captain Will Solace of _The Apollo_ lowered his eyeglass. A wide grin was spreading across his lips as he leant against the edge of the ship.

“They _are_ here,” he said aloud. His eyes were rooted on the spot where one of the most beautiful creatures he’d ever seen had erupted from the water.

“Jason!” he called over his shoulder, his gaze never leaving the spot. A tall, blond haired boy ran up beside him.

“Yeah, Will?” he asked. Will glanced at his first mate and beamed at him.

“I was right,” he said. Jason’s face broke into a grin. “Get Lou. We’re going to catch ourselves a mermaid.”  


	2. Apollo Sun

**Chapter 2:**

**Apollo Sun**

Nico ended up being swamped by Percy and Annabeth ganging up on him. Apparently it wasn’t fair of Nico to tag Percy. Nico didn’t think fair came into it and Percy’s pride just couldn’t handle being surprised. Being one of the greatest heroes of Half-Blood City had its moments.

Sufficiently tired and ready to float down for a nice chat, Percy, Nico and Annabeth headed back to the body of water underneath _The Apollo._ The boats shadow had quickly become the three’s favourite hang-out.

Bubbles blobbed out of Percy’s mouth as he yawned. Nico rolled his eyes and swished his tail through the water. The current smacked Percy’s cheek and burst the rising air. Annabeth chuckled at them as Percy flicked his hand and sent Nico spinning away. Being a son of Poseidon, controller of the currents, Percy had a power over water. It made for some interesting fights since they were virtually surrounded by the stuff.

Nico’s tumble sent him closer to the ship.

“It is on, Jackson!” he called, flapping his tail fluke to straighten himself out before raising his hands. But nothing happened.

Nico then found out it’s very difficult to concentrate on shadows when the sea all around you amplifies a sound that, for all the world, could be a million birds shrieking in high pitch.

* * *

 

Will quickly took his fingers out of his mouth. His crew unplugged their ears and set to work immediately.

Will Solace was a son of the god Apollo. A pretty blessed son, too. He was good-looking, like his father, with blond hair and bright blue eyes and a killer tan. His abilities included archery, vitakinesis – meaning he could heal people by singing to them – a variety curses and a small power to manipulate light.

But his favourite was a skill he called audiokinesis.

Will could make a sharp, painful whistle sound that will stun any being who heard it. It was that that had just frozen the three mermaids below his ship. Sound travelled through water at an amplified rate, so they wouldn’t be able to move for a good while.

Will knew there was at least one mermaid closer to _The Apollo_ than the rest. It was this one he intended to catch.

Running to the side of the ship, Will leant over and raised his hands past his head. The sun, high above him, started beating down with extreme force on the one spot Will could see was darker than the rest of the ocean. The ray of light slimmed and concentrated, eventually lighting up a figure at least ten meters below the surface. Will could see that the blurry figure had its arms up, like he was. Vaguely wondering what that was about, Will called over his shoulder.

“Everyone, move! There’s one just next to the boat, about ten meters deep. Lou, I need you up here!”

Lou Ellen, by some standards a witch, to Will a close friend and magician, ran from her position and stopped beside him. In her hand was a long coil of steel chain, which she had spent the last little while enchanting.

“Do it,” Will said, and Lou dropped the metal over the side of the boat, letting it splash into the sea. Then she closed her eyes, held her hands out in front of her, and breathed.

* * *

 

Nico couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He could barely inhale any water through his gills. Not far away from him, Percy and Annabeth were having the same difficulties. Percy looked wide-eyed at Nico, panic written across his face.

Suddenly a bright white light lit up the sea around Nico. He blinked, stars clustering his vision. He couldn’t see out of the brilliant circle that seemed to be encasing him, and he could barely make out the stunned forms of Percy and Annabeth.

A few seconds after the light began, Nico felt his muscles relaxing. Whatever had frozen him was starting to wear off and soon he could swim away from whatever was happening. Nico narrowed his eyes, trying to see Percy more clearly. He saw the sea-green tail of his friend twitch. Their movement was coming back as well.

A little too late though.

The next thing Nico felt was something heavy, cold and metal touch his wrist. He sensed it trail across the back of his hand until he could feel the last links of what he now knew was a chain. Suddenly it started winding around him.

It circled his wrist before dragging his immobile arm through the water. Nico felt the sides of his hands press together tightly as the chain started coiling around them. He couldn’t move to stop it.

Then it started snaking down his right arm. It twisted along his skin like a living thing, spiralling past his elbow and his shoulder and eventually going a single loop around his neck before continuing down his chest, wrapping three times until it reached his waist. Now the metal was moving rapidly, twining around and around his tail several times before tying itself off in the neck before his fluke fin.

Nico finally felt feeling crash into him and he tried pulling at the chain, silently demanding it let him the hell go. But the only pulling that was working was the one that was bodilessly dragging him toward the surface.

“Nico!” Percy yelled, his face finally unfreezing. Nico set his eyes on his two best friends.

“Get out of here!” he shouted at them. “Go! Don’t let them get -”

He didn’t get to finish. Nico was cut off trying to save the lives of the two people he loved like family by his head breaking through the top water. The last word dripped from his lips like the water running off his body.

“…you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being dramatic is a talent of mine, really.
> 
> Lol nah. Sorry for breaking your eyes with my writing.
> 
> Jasmine out!


	3. Nico di Angelo

**Chapter 3:**

**Nico di Angelo**

Up until now, Will Solace had seen the mermaids as a prey that he could hunt. Something to keep as a trophy to display his skill. They were ‘its’. All mermaids had extremely potent healing abilities – a single tear could save a man from death. Will wanted to capture one to become one of the most well-known and feared pirates on the seas: he’d be immortal and invincible. Sort of.

But the moment the creature erupted from the water, tangled helplessly in Lou’s magic chain, Will felt all his walls crash and morals flood back in. He’d never, _ever,_ be able to hurt the thing before him, let alone push it over its breaking point.

It wasn’t even an ‘it’. It was a _he,_ and a really, really beautiful he. With a killer glare.

Will heard a word pass through the pretty thing’s lips.

“…you.”

 At least attempting to collect some of his shattered composure, Will drew his sword and stabbed it into the deck, leaning on it and giving the mermaid- no, mer _man,_ a cheerful grin.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to know me,” he joked. “It’s a nice surprise.”

He didn’t get a reply, but the heat of the glare intensified until Will thought he might spontaneously combust. He vaguely waved a hand at Lou, who understood immediately, and started manipulating the magic steel around the merman to bring him on-board. He flopped onto the deck, his fluke starting to kick. It caught one of Will’s crew and sent them flying against the railing. The creature seemed to understand exactly how strong the end of his tail was against humans and started bucking it wider, hitting several more men and women.

Will acted on instinct and drew his sword from the deck before bringing it down point-first. It speared the right side of the merman’s fluke and the kicking stopped as suddenly as it began. Will heard a “Tch,” of pain from the creature and moved so he was in his line of vision. His smile was slightly smaller.

“Sorry,” he apologised. “But I need my friends’ conscious so we can leave.”

The merman’s eyes seemed to widen a fraction and Will nodded gravely.

“Afraid so.” He answered the question that wasn’t asked. “We got what we came for – that’s you, by the way, pretty boy – so now we’ll be going.”

To his surprise the creature blushed, his cheeks glowing a faint pink as he stared at Will with eyes such a rich dark chocolate colour the pirate Captain would swear up and down they were reading his soul.

Will abruptly pulled his sword out of the merman’s tail and waved to Lou and Jason, who had been  standing behind him when their catch flippered half his crew.

“Get him in the trench,” he ordered, and the two walked slowly forward. The merman immediately zeroed in on them and growled primaly, wordlessly daring them to take one more step towards him. Lou and Jason exchanged looks before holding their hands out to the merman. Will watched as Lou’s chain tightened again and started lifting the half-human off the deck. Jason twirled his fingers and a wind started up underneath their catch, lifting him higher. The two started walking, taking the merman with them, towards the mast, where a trough roughly the same width and height of a king sized bed sat. It was filled with sea water and had a canvas cover over it so it wasn’t evaporated by the sun and didn’t get too hot. Will had thought this through.

Lou and Jason gently eased the merman into the trench, sitting him down in the water. Jason’s winds had dried the creature and Will could see him even better now that he wasn’t totally soaking wet.

Lou finished up by attaching one of the links in the chain around the merman’s wrists onto a hook screwed into the mast. Then she loosened her power over it and stepped back with Jason. Will glanced at them for a second.

“Thank you,” he said. “Now, prepare to set sail.”

They nodded and left. Will turned back to the creature in the trough and was startled to see that it was coughing. As the merman breathed in, the air rattled in his throat and Will jumped forward. He checked the side of the half-human’s neck to see the gills had closed up like they were meant to now he was out of water. Then the pirate’s eyes fell on the chain still around the merman. It was constricting his windpipe.

Will wrapped his fingers around the cold metal and gently loosened it until he could comfortably fit his hand in the gap between the merman’s skin and the chain. Will then leant back and sat on the side of the trench while the half-human got its breath back.

“Sorry,” Will apologised sincerely. “That wasn’t meant to happen.”

His kidnapee glared at him and said nothing. Will took the opportunity to observe his catch.

Just like he’d first thought, the merman was beautiful. His hair looked like soft shadow and his eyes were narrowed dark chocolate. His tail glinted black like Stygian metal and his ear fins flicked slightly in the direction of sound.

For the first time, Will noticed the circlet crown around the others head. He reached out to touch it and his fingers were met with cool black metal and smooth, dark pearls. It was simple but regal.

“Don’t tell me,” Will whispered. He’d heard legends about this crown, and the one who wore it. A hero of the sea. The human and mermaid worlds were closer than anyone cared to admit. Sailors had often spoken of the Ghost King.

“Well…” Will trailed off. “When I said all those times I’d catch a mermaid, I didn’t think I’d land myself with the Prince of Hades.”

The merman’s eyes widened in surprise and Will grinned again.

“A pleasure to meet you, Nico di Angelo.”


	4. To Flick a Tail

**Chapter 4:**

**To Flick a Tail**

Will had always held mermaids in high fascination, and was drawn to them by default. They were pretty, powerful and mythical that those three themes were a constant in Will’s life.

But with a merman son of Hades, Nico di Angelo non the less, Will was more drawn to him than he thought he would be. Nico took his constant themes to a whole new level – he was beautiful, devastatingly formidable, and obviously mythical. He was half-fish, after all.

“We need to go right away,” Will said to himself, still seated on the deck and studying the merman in front of him. Nico stared back evenly, his earlier surprise gone to be replaced by stony silence.

“You’re not much of a talker, are you?” Will asked, smiling at the merman. Nico’s reply was a tightening of his lips and no words.

“Lou!” Will yelled, not looking away from the black haired creature in the tub. “We ready to set sail?”

“Ready when you are, Captain!” was her reply. “We’re headed for the mainland. Will you be taking the wheel, or should Jason?”

Will thought it over for a second, and then Nico’s tail scales flashed in his face and made the decision for him.

“Jason can steer,” he told her. “He can boost the winds to get us to Jupiter City faster.”

Nico seemed to be following their conversation, his head turning slowly between Will and Lou. At the mention of Jason being able to boost the winds, his eyes narrowed. Lou disappeared and directed Jason to the helm, where the blond took the large wheel and started spinning it. Will observed Nico watching all this with morbid fascination.

“Have you seen a ship before, Nico?” Will asked, resting his chin on his hands. Nico’s dark eyes flicked away from Jason to Will. His tail waved in the trench water calmly as he turned his nose up at the question. Will pouted.

“Oh come on,” he whined. “You can talk to me, I’m not a bad person!”

Nico gave him a haughty glare.

“Alright, I’m somewhat bad,” Will admitted. “But I’m only bad to bad people, see? That makes me a good person.”

The glare intensified.

“Oh wait wait,” Will amended. “I’m not saying _you’re_ bad. I mean that- you know what? Forget it.”

There was silence for a moment, filled with hostility from Nico and awkwardness from Will. This wasn’t exactly how he’d imagined his triumph. Will stretched back against the deck and laid down.

“Before,” he started, “those two other mermaids. They were your friends, right?”

No response. Not that he was expecting one.

“I hate to be the dream-crusher Nico, I really do, but they’re not coming for you. You’re not going to be rescued.”

Will didn’t even bother looking up at the sound of the merman drawing breath. He didn’t think much of it.

“I don’t need help escaping anyone.”

Will froze where he lay, his eyes starting to bulge out of their sockets in genuine shock. He sat up slowly, his gaze locking on the merman in the tub and not wavering. It couldn’t have been anyone else who’d spoken; Will knew all his crew’s voices. His eyes met Nico’s and Will felt his mouth drop open.

Nico had a really pretty voice. All dark and mysterious and hero-y.

“So you do talk,” he managed. “Geez, I was wondering if you’d gone mute.”

Nico sighed, apparently done with giving the silent treatment, and ready to unleash his skill with the human language.

“Gone mute?” he repeated sarcastically. “I might have _been_ mute for all you knew.”

Will shook his head.

“You said something before,” he reminded the merman. “When you came out of the water.”

“When I _came out_ of the water?” Nico repeated, the words barbed. Will made a face.

“When we _kidnapped_ you from the water then,” he said. “Happy?”

“No.”

“I think I preferred it when you didn’t talk, di Angelo.” Will crossed his arms, vaguely annoyed. Nico widened his eyes in cynical horror.

“I don’t know exactly it translates to human, but we have a saying among the mer-people and I think it goes something like, ‘You got what you got’.” His tail flapped weakly in the water, throwing dots of light around the canvas. “Deal with me.”

Will tipped his head to the side, thinking.

“This conversation’s gone off track,” he decided. “What I want to talk about is how you think you’ll be able to escape _The Apollo.”_

Nico gave him a withering look.

“What I want to talk about,” he parroted, “is how you think you’ll be able to stop me.”

Will’s eyes narrowed as he scanned Nico over again.

“I don’t know about you,” the blond said, tapping the metal wrapped around the merman’s fluke, “but this looks like it’s stopping you pretty solidly.”

Nico scowled, his eyes glittering dangerously. His tail fins splashed the water in the trench, slapping Will’s hand and showering him in droplets. Will withdrew hurriedly, inspecting the angry red colour already rising on him wrist.

“That was low,” he decided, rubbing his wet palm against his tunic. Nico raised his eyebrows.

Will ignored the merman’s expression and stepped away slightly, raising his arms in the air, towards the sun. He felt the midday heat start beating down on him harder and harder, complete yellow rays of light starting to twirl down from the sky and surround him. Barely minutes later and the light retracted back into the air, leaving Will looking almost exactly the same, minus the hand-print of water on his shirt and the mass of droplets on his clothes and skin. He was dry. Completely dry.

Nico tried to hide his astonishment, but Will saw the shock on the merman’s face and grinned.

“Son of Hades, meet the son of Apollo,” he announced. Nico’s eyes went wide, for real this time.

“Son of Apollo?” he repeated. “But… that’s not poss-”

“Captain!”

Will looked up at the sound of Jason’s voice, staring over the top deck and to the helm where his first mate was. Jason was with someone else from the crew – a bulky, muscled boy named Butch. There was a shimmer in the air beside him.

“Iris message for you! From- well, come and find out.”

* * *

 

Percy and Annabeth hadn’t been able to do anything for Nico in their frozen state. In the end, they both watched helplessly as the ship that their friend was on started away, moving at an accelerated rate of several knots. Impressive for a stand-still beginning.

But Percy and Annabeth were far from impressed and as soon as whatever spell they were under wore off, Percy shot through the water, propelled by his powers as he chased after _The Apollo._

“Percy!” Annabeth called after him. “Percy, stop!”

“They took Nico, Annabeth!” Percy shouted, his voice panicked and angry. “We have to get him back!”

“What’re you going to do, Percy?” she yelled sarcastically. “Sink the ship? That could hurt Nico too – we don’t know where they’re keeping him!”

Percy slowed down, if only a little.

“That’s my best friend on there, Annie!” he raged, more at the pirates than Annabeth. “The closest thing I have to a brother and proper family. You might as well have just cut off my right fin.”

Annabeth caught up to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around him, cold, slightly scaled skin touching soothingly.

“Percy,” she said softly, “I know how you feel. Nico’s my best friend, the closest thing _I_ have to a brother and proper family as well. But we have to think about this.” She gave him a calming kiss on the forehead. “Let’s go and find Chiron. We’ll get an audience with the council, and they can decide how to rescue Nico.”

Slightly sated, Percy allowed his girlfriend to lead him away from the surface and deep into the sea, towards where Half-Blood City lay concealed.

They ignored the road that would have taken them to New Rome, where they were meant to be meeting their friends. Thalia would be angry, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. She’d understand once they explained.

They reached the Academy quickly, and all but brushed off inquiring peers as they raced to Chiron’s office, known as the Big House.

“Chiron!” Percy shouted, throwing the door open. “We need a meeting with the council, _now!”_


	5. Threats

**Chapter 5:**

**Threats**

The first thing Will noticed about the Iris Message was that everything was underwater. The second thing he noticed was that his callers had tails instead of legs. And they all looked very angry.

“You’re not Nico,” one of them said. He was tanned, muscled and really very pretty, with floating black hair and vivid green eyes. He had a seaweed belt around his waist and a sword hung from it. Will smirked and did a sweeping bow. Rival banter was his area.

“No, I’m not,” he agreed. “I’m Will Solace, Captain of _The Apollo._ How’s it going?”

“You’re the pirate,” another one said. This one was a girl, with blond hair and rain-cloud grey eyes. Will nodded.

“Indeed I am.”

“You kidnapped Nico!” the first boy accused, lunging for the Iris screen. The message shook in the air as the blond mermaid and an older merman held the black haired boy back.

“Indeed I did.”

The pretty boy merman snarled at him.

“What have you done to him?” he growled, trying to get away from his two companions holding him back. Will put on a hurt expression.

“I haven’t done anything!” he protested.

“Let us see him,” the blond mermaid demanded, glaring at Will. He put a lot of effort into not quailing under her gaze.

“Why should I?” he said. The older merman holding the black haired boy back moved closer. Will noticed he and the one trying to attack him through the Iris Message looked almost the same.

“Do you know what you’ve done, exactly?” he asked Will. “Do you know whom you have taken?”

Will studied the merman. His short beard was black, same with his hair, and his face and torso were tanned and muscular. Across his chest he wore a sash of fish-net silk, and in his hair was a rather large, green-gemstone-studded crown. There were silver markings at the edges of his bright green eyes.  Will had an inkling idea of who he was talking to, and he smiled.

“Lord Poseidon, right?” he asked, and the merman’s brow furrowed. “To answer you, yes, I know what I’ve done and who I have. Nico di Angelo isn’t as secret as you merpeople’d like to believe.”

Will closed his mouth and smiled then, watching the thrashing relation of Poseidon slow down and stare at the pirate. Will stared back. The boy glared. Will glared. It was obvious they weren’t going to get along.

“What kind of mortal are you?” Poseidon growled, his fists clenching. “Why-”

“-can’t you touch my ship?” Will finished for him. “Why am I able to detain a Prince of Hades? Bit slow on the uptake, Poseidon.” Will flashed a cocky-ass grin at the three merpeople in the Iris Message.

“What kind of mortal am I?” he repeated, tapping his chin. “Simple.” He shrugged. “I’m not mortal.”

Everyone on the underwater side of the call went still.

“The rule of the gods,” Will started, “is that they cannot interfere with demigod business. This,” he gestured around, “is demigod business.”

As a move of severe maturity, Will stuck his tongue out.

“This ship is captained by a human son of Apollo, with a daughter of Hecate and son of Zeus as his first-mates and a crew of half-bloods on board. There is a merman son of Hades currently decorating the mast.” Will took a deep breath. “Point of the argument: you can’t touch us.”

The he gave a cheery wave and swiped through the Iris Message, saying as he did so, “Say hi to dad for me!”

The image started fading, but not before the green-eyed merman shouted again.

“I’m coming after you, Solace!”

Will sighed in exasperation. Next to him, Butch and Jason were shaking their heads, twin smiles on their faces.

“Your diplomacy always astounds me, Captain Solace,” Butch teased. Jason nodded solemnly. Will pouted as he started to walk away and back down the stairs.

“You shut up,” he ordered Butch, and the large son of Iris gave a mock salute before springing away back to whatever it was he was doing before he intercepted the Iris Message meant for Nico.

Will reached the bottom of the staircase and made his way back to the cover his merman captive was under. He frowned as he approached. It was midday, the shadows should have been that dark under the canvas.

That’s when Will hit himself in the face and ran for the mast.

A son of Hades. Why didn’t he even think of this before.

When Will rounded the plastic corner, he almost panicked.

Nico was waving his fingers around and concentrating. Shadows were starting to peel off the wall, and Nico looked like he was bleeding into them. Next to his eyes, sharp markings were appearing – black curls and lines. He was using his powers to escape, and it looked like it was working. Will shuddered to think about the damage he could have done if Lou’s chain wasn’t enchanted and it wasn’t wrapped heavily around the merman.

Will acted quickly, flinging his arms over his head and calling on the sun. A narrow beam came to him again, and he bent the sunlight into a pliable ball of bright yellow before throwing it into the canvas room. The shadows immediately retreated, wailing mournfully to their Prince as the light burned them away. Nico swung his head around and glared at Will.

“Good try,” Will said, his customary grin back on his face. The merman just stared harder.

“Who was the Iris Message from?” he demanded. Will mulled it over in his head whether or not he should answer.

“Your friend,” he said finally. “The one with the green eyes. And Poseidon.”

“Percy,” Nico blurted, and then bit his lip and scowled. Will raised his eyebrow.

“Percy,” he said, tasting the name. He didn’t like it as much as he liked the sound of Nico though.

“What did he want?”

Will sat down and leaned against the trench where Nico lay.

“To threaten me,” he said simply. “Demand to see you, yell, wonder what I’d done to you.” He shrugged. “The usual, I suppose.”

To his surprise, Nico smiled. It was small and malicious, but he smiled.

“Invoked the wrath of Perseus,” he hummed, his tail swishing happily. “This ship’ll have a hole in it by tomorrow.”

Will peeked over the edge of the tub at Nico.

“You think so?” he asked. Nico gave him a haughty look.

“I know so,” he replied icily. “No one’s made an enemy of Percy and gotten away.”

“I bet no one’s made an enemy of you and gotten away either,” Will said, resting his arms on the side of the wooden trough and gazing up at the merman. Nico’s eye twitched.

“True,” he bit out. “And you’re no exception.”

Will’s head fell to the side and he smiled lazily. He gathered his feet under him and stood, making for the exit.

“I look forward to it,” he said.


	6. Sunrise

Nico wasn’t sure what to make of the pirate Captain. There wasn’t any sort of maliciousness hanging around him. He didn’t even seem to have a plan for Nico, or a goal of any kind now that he’d captured a merman. Was he just a trophy? It was starting to look that way.

The biggest current in Nico’s lake though, was the son of Apollo business. How was that possible, for Apollo to have human demigod children? He was a god, and gods had tails and lived underwater in Half-Blood City. It didn’t make sense.

Another problem: Nico had a bad case of pins-and-needles. Only so much blood got to his hands in their elevated position, and that left his fingers feeling cold. It felt like he’d hit his elbow-fin on something hard.

But his complaints and ponderings of Will’s origin and how uncomfortable his arms were was hardly anything compared to the utter apathy he felt whenever he imagined getting any sort of revenge on the pirate. He just didn’t want to hurt Captain Solace, and that made him angry.

 “Hello, Brooding Beauty.”

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Nico didn’t reply.

“Are you awake?” Will asked, entering the pseudo-tent that housed the merman. “There’s a nice sunrise brewing.” Nico glared at him.

Soft, grey dawn was just peeking its fingers out from under the cover of night, testing the waters on whether or not it should make the effort of dragging the sun across the sky for another day. Since Nico had personally met Apollo, he would place money on the fact that Apollo was more eager than the dawn to start his ego-flaming run where the whole world could see him.

The merman scowled as though he hadn’t been soliloquising about the morning, and pretended he’d just been asleep.

“There’s no sunrise beautiful enough that’s worth waking me up to see it, brewing or otherwise,” he replied, his chin jerking up in annoyance. Will smiled.

“Ah, that’s no way to be,” he said softly, padding over to the trough and leaning on the side. Nico’s icy composure melted ever so slightly. The Will before him was different to the flirtatious Captain he’d exchanged threats with yesterday. Here was a teenage boy who wanted to watch the sky dawn but didn’t want to wake up his friends.

So, logically, he wakes up the prisoner instead.

“If you swear on the Styx,” Solace started, “that you won’t try anything that’ll harm me, my crew or this ship, and you won’t try to escape, I can take Lou’s chain off and you can come see the sunrise with me.”

Nico gave this offer serious thought. His arms were cold and numb from lack of blood getting into them, and the same canvas walls was making him feel caged. His tails swished at the thought of being anywhere that wasn’t the lukewarm water he’d been stuck in.

Besides, it was just one morning, right? And Will had never set out to deliberately hurt him before.

“…okay,” he found himself saying, and the brightening of Will’s face was almost worth the pride he was losing. Which just made Nico confused, because since when did he even care. “I swear on the Styx.”

Will set to work, plunging his hands into the water and tackling the loop of chain bottling around Nico’s fluke fin. He carefully unwound the metal, lifting Nico’s tail out of the water on occasion so he could pull the linked chain away.

Nico could feel the bruising around his chest before he even saw it. When Will got to ridding him of restraints around his torso and neck, his eyebrows furrowed at the purpling dents in Nico’s pale skin. When he got the last of it off Nico’s arm, all he could think about was that he looked like he’d gotten a really badly planned out snake tattoo that wound all the way up from his waist. Nico’s ear fins flicked in impatience.

“Alright, Nico, I’m going to pick you up now,” Will said, settling the looped chain across his shoulders like a carrier bag. Nico eyed him critically.

“Are you sure you can even lift me?” he asked doubtfully. Will put a hand to his heart in mock hurt.

“There’s a lot more here than good looks and brains, you know,” he said. “Now just stay still.”

Will dipped his arms back in the water, but this time his hands snaked around Nico’s waist and tail joint, essentially picking him up bridal style. Nico refused to help, folding his arms and looking away. This was humiliating enough without putting his arms around his kidnapper’s neck.

“Nothing to it,” Will proclaimed, and indeed Nico was being held, unassisted, by the pirate. The Prince of Hades shifted his head slightly to see Will’s grin less than a few inches from his own face. He pursed his lips and looked away again.

Will started easily out of the canvas cover, his boots thumping softly on the wooden deck. When he rounded the corner of the cover, a sea breeze swept over Nico and he sighed quietly. He’d missed the fresh salty wind. Even more, he missed the water. His skin was getting irritated from not being able to swim in the ocean. His tail too, felt suspiciously sore because he hadn’t used it as much as he normally did, which was all the time.  

But the sunrise was nice.

Will took them right to the edge of the ship, before settling Nico gently on the side and then clambering up to join him. Nico grabbed the railing and leant back on his hands. His eyes were fixed on the water just below him. Gods dammed Styx promises.

“Have you ever watched the sun come up?” Will asked, staring at the sky. Nico curled his lip.

“Of course I have,” he replied testily. “Apollo’d never forgive me if I missed it.”

Will glanced to his side.

“So you’ve met my dad?”

Nico looked at him sharply.

“He can’t be your dad,” he argued. “You’re human. Everyone knows the gods form is a merfolk.”

Will started swinging his legs over the side of the ship.

“Have you read the legends?” he questioned, apparently changing the subject. Nico nodded slowly.

“They’re part of the Academy curriculum, yeah.”

Will tipped his head back to look at the lightening sky.

“Then you’ll know that the gods can change shape. Many lesser deities and demigods were made that way.”

It took a moment for that to sink in.

“…no way,” Nico whispered.

“Way,” Will told him, grinning again. “Jason’s father is Zeus, or, in his human form,” Will struck a ridiculous pose, “ _Jupiter, god of the skies.”_

Nico’s brain shut down and he looked blindly at the rising sun.

“And the girl with the purple streaks in her hair…”

“Lou,” Will offered. “Daughter of Hecate. Or, Trivia; whatever.”

A lesser merman than Nico would have his head in his hands and be mumbling. The gods turning themselves human and having two-legged demigods was unheard of.

But then one of Zeus’s lightning bolts seemed to hit his brain and he sat up sharply, staring at the water.

“Maybe my dad…” he murmured. He didn’t want to finish that thought out loud.

Could his father have had a child with a human? Did Nico have another sibling out there who was alive?

Will smiled kindly at him.

“Maybe,” he agreed, reading Nico’s thoughts. The merman shifted uncomfortably, the wooden rail rubbing all wrong on his scales. He needed the sea.

“I don’t see any sign of your friend Percy,” Will commented, scanning the water. Nico lifted his lip in a snarl and felt his elbow fins bristle.

“He’ll be here,” he snapped. Will hummed thoughtfully.

“I’m sure he will.”

They sat in silence for a while, checking the skies for a break in the grey pre-dawn light for the first ray of sun.

“That reminds me,” Will suddenly said. Nico looked over at him. “What do you eat for breakfasts and such? I don’t want you to go hungry.”

Nico was taken aback, not prepared for any sort of hospitality to come to him while he was on _The Apollo._ He wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” he asked instead, watching water lap the side of the ship. Beside him, Will stopped moving his legs.

“What do you mean?” the pirate replied carefully. Nico glanced up and narrowed his eyes.

“You managed to kidnap a merman, Solace. You didn’t just do it without a reason.” The first ray of sun finally opened up from the dawn cloud and Nico frowned. “You want my tears.”

It didn’t scrape as a question. More of a statement of utter certainty. Will nodded slowly.

“I did,” he said, looking over at Nico. “You were an ‘it’ to me, really. A shiny trophy that could help me conquer the seas and show a certain member of my extended family that he wasn’t anything important compared to what I’d found and what I’d done.”

“You won’t get them,” Nico responded, lifting his head. “I will never shed any tears for you.”

Will smiled with one side of his mouth and kept looking out at the horizon. He didn’t reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, an amazingly talented artist, infinitecity, has drawn this fic a beautiful piece of art. Go look her up on DeviantArt and you'll see. I love it so much it's just- *inexplicable happy noises*


	7. The Son of Poseidon

The time it took to gain council with the gods and then organise a quest for Nico’s rescue was about a week total and Percy couldn’t wait that long. Every time his little bro was brought up, all he could see was some faceless man standing over the son of Hades, striking him over and over and opening wounds all over his body. It was driving Percy insane.

He could see the week-long suffering he’d endure, see how the wait would crush the air out of his gills and probably suffocate him, because Nico was alone with a human on a pirate boat and Percy didn’t trust that Captain Solace as far as he could throw him. Nico was in danger; he sensed it.

So the night after he’d argued with Chiron about the quest (“Percy, you’re emotionally invested in this, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go.”) and blown up at Annabeth and Poseidon when they agreed (“I know you care about Nico, Percy, and I do to. You’re not the only one hurting here. But it’s a bad idea to go after him.” “He can take care of himself.”), Percy packed a satchel, readjusted his crown, and left a note on his bed explaining that he was going after Nico as Hades help them stop him. And since it was his son missing, Hades would not help them stop Percy rescuing Nico.

* * *

 

It was just turning morning when Percy broke the ocean surface, and saw a ship on the horizon line. He’d been swimming all night, and his eyes were heavy and itchy. His tail was still strong though, and his power over the water allowed his extra burst of speed towards the vessel. He made sure his satchel was tied tightly, and his hand went to his seaweed belt, where Riptide hung in its pen form. As soon as he uncapped it, a flat bronze sword would appear.

Summoning his abilities, Percy submerged himself again, and raced for the boat. Bubbles flew away from his hair as he narrowed his eyes.

“I said I was coming, Solace,” he muttered, speeding up even more. The dull shape of _The Apollo_ ’s hull loomed up before him. “And I’ll be taking back my little brother.”

* * *

 

Nico and Will were still sitting on the railings of the ship, the merman basking in the rays of the dawning sun and trying not to look like he was. The Captain had his eyes closed and a small smile on his face, letting the sea breeze ruffle his hair. The Prince of Hades tried not to stare, but the only sort of hair-waving he’d seen was slow, underwater type blobbing of curls. Seeing the wind almost slice through Will’s blond locks was hypnotising.

“So,” the pirate spoke, and Nico quickly looked away, “you’re still hung up on the idea of a rescue, huh?”

Nico went still, and slowly turned his head back towards Will, black eyes catching light blue.

“Good.” Will glanced over his shoulder. “Jason’s been waiting to have a toe-to-toe with this son of Poseidon since the Iris Message.” He started swinging his legs again. “Do you think he’ll be part of the retrieval team?”   

Nico followed Will’s gaze to see the broad-shouldered silhouette of Jason coming out of his cabin. He lazily drew his weapon – a golden sword that glittered by itself – and gave it a few experimental swishes. Son of Jupiter, Will had said. Nico brought up an image of his friend Thalia, and compared the two. Now that he knew what to look for, the son of Hades could see the very similar lightning-and-sky blue eyes.

“Percy _is_ the retrieval team,” Nico replied testily, still watching Jason. Will looked at him with interest.

“Really? He’s good, then?”

Nico didn’t reply, pursing his lips instead. Will sighed.

“It’s not like I’m new to any of this, Nico,” he said, leaning back on his hands. “I grew up with the gods of Half-Blood City following me like a shadow. Anything you can tell me, I could deduce myself if I tried.”

Nico huffed, giving in.

“His element is the water,” he said. “We’re all at home in it, but it’s a real part of Percy. He controls it.” He gave a side-glance at Will. “And he’s a nasty person to have on your back, too.”

“Speaking from experience?” Will teased. The son of Hades glowered and lightly shoved the Captain with his shoulder.

“I do not like you,” Nico muttered, blowing some hair from his face. Will patted his wrist, which was a weirdly familiar gesture but Nico couldn’t bring himself to mind it too much.

“Give it time,” the son of Apollo said. Nico opened his mouth to make a scathing reply.

But suddenly, the whole ship shuddered under them, starting with small tremors before the force was enough to throw Nico and Will off the edge and crashing onto the deck. Jason stumbled and fell on his butt, and the cabin crew door flew open as Lou and a bunch of other half-bloods tumbled out.

“What the Hades is that!” the daughter of Trivia yelled, wobbling her way over to Will, who was slowly getting to his feet. Nico was still stranded on the ground. His tail was the most useless thing right then; all it could do was slap the wooden deck.

Will scanned the horizon over his shoulder, careful not to topple over again.

“I have no clue,” the son of Apollo said, puffing out his cheeks. Nico tried flopping his way over to the rocking huddle of demigods, until another lurch of the ship sent him careering into Captain Solace himself, taking the blond for an unplanned and painful joyride across the deck before they hit the other barrier and slid down it.

“Poseidon’s Underpants di Angelo,” Will grumbled, and Nico realised he was crushing the other boy under him, “your hipbone is sharp as. I think that’s going to bruise.”

Nico snarled as he rolled off the pirate, mumbling about how he deserved every bruise he got, dammit. Will eventually managed to find his feet again, using the railing for support. His head was peeking over the side, and from his sprawled position on the deck, Nico could see the son of Apollo’s eyes go wide.

“Aye, everyone?” Will called, not looking away. “I think out problem’s coming from down there.”

He pointed at the ocean.

A lot of things clicked for Nico just then.

The waves were hitting the boat a lot harder now than before, and a grin worked its way onto Nico’s face. _Wouldn’t be long now,_ he thought. _Any second this ship’ll have a hole in it bigger than my stepmother._

It was just his luck that Will was now staring at him. No one worth their sense would smile when under attack, and despite his father being a bit air-headed, Will was a sharp-minded boy. It didn’t take him long to figure it out.

“Ah,” he realised.

And just then, the sea exploded.


	8. Lima and Stockholm

“Lou!”

Will whipped around to stare at one of his first mates as he yelled. Water was pushing the ship violently, and the geyser that had shot into the sky was hanging high over the sails. There was a figure at the top of it, and Will would bet his life that one Percy Jackson was up there. He beckoned the daughter of Trivia over.

“Get Butch,” he ordered. “Secure di Angelo. Don’t let him get away!”

Lou nodded grimly before shouting for the son of Iris. He appeared in all his bulky glory and Will watched as they approached the merman, who was trying to get onto his stomach. All Will had time to see before his attention was torn away was Butch wrapping an arm around Nico’s neck and hoisting him off the ground. Then the Captain of the Apollo was distracted by the loud, booming voice coming from the geyser.

“Will Solace!” Percy Jackson roared. Will looked up to see the son of Poseidon glowering over the lip of the water spout at him. “Call your people off Nico and let him go!”

Jason managed to walk his way to Will’s side, and he squinted up at Percy.

“Or what?” he challenged. The merman narrowed his eyes at the blond pirate.

“You were in that Iris Message,” he remembered. “What’s your name?”

Jason pursed his lips, swinging his sword around in an offensive position.

“I’m Jason Grace,” he replied. “And you’re Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon.”

Percy’s geyser seemed to dip a bit, and suddenly he wasn’t as tall as the mast and they could see his face. His mouth was hanging open in obvious surprise.

“Did you say Grace?” he asked. Jason raised his eyebrows.

“Why does it matter?” he retorted. Percy shook his head and scowled again, now glaring at Jason.

“Whatever,” he muttered to himself. “You need to let my little brother go _now,_ or I swear on the head of every deity that I will kill you.” His angry eyes fell to Will again. “Last time, you caught us by surprise. But that won’t work on me now.” Percy raised his sword. “Give Nico over or I’ll sink this ship!”

Jason dropped into a fighting stance. Will saw the hard expression on his friend’s face and had to wonder if – for the first time – maybe he was in the wrong here. Percy Jackson was a sea legend and there was a real possibility Jason could be seriously hurt going head to head with him.

But then he shook his head and scoffed at himself. Will Solace was a pirate. Jason was a pirate. They all knew the risks. An angry merman was just one of those hazards they had to face.

 _I’m not above anything,_ Will told himself, steeling his nerves. _I’m a pirate. I’m the Captain of a bunch of pirates. Nothing’s too low or tricky for me._ He hmphed obnoxiously. _I live in the filth, so I can play as dirty as I like._

“Jason?” Will’s first-mate looked over at him. The Captain nodded. “You’ve got this. Go get him.”

A small smile flickered over Jason’s face and he jerked his head once in acknowledgement before launching himself into the air at Percy.

The winds grabbed at Jason’s tunic and pants, ruffling waves in the fabric as the air started spinning faster and faster around him, creating a miniature tornado that shot him directly at the son of Poseidon and his water spout. Will’s smirk winded in sync with Percy’s eyes as Jason collided with the swirling wall of water, sending Percy flying backwards. He hit the sea with a loud splash, and no one saw anything of him until he erupted back out again, this time in a hurricane of his own. Jason swooped down from the skies and they crashed swords. Something boomed in the distance and Will saw lightning flash.

“That’s heavy stuff,” he whistled.

“It’s a very dramatic fight, I’ll give them that,” Lou said from behind him, and Will turned around. He smiled at her before walking over.

“It’s good,” he said. “The bigger the better. The more Jackson is occupied the more distracted he is.” Wiping sea water off his face, Will looked down at exactly why Percy needed to be distracted. He knelt on the deck and tucked some of Nico’s hair out of his eyes. “We won’t need very long, anyway.” What he got in return was a harsh glare from the merman. Looking up at Lou, Will raised his eyebrows.

“Do you have like, enchanted chain stuffed in all your pockets or something?” he asked. “There’s just always some whenever we need it.”

Lou grinned.

“Something like that.”

“Well.” Will stood up, dusting off his knees. He pointed at Butch and Lou. “Good job you two. Now, I need you on offensive. Jason should be bringing Percy over here soon.”

Another lightning bolt split the sky and there was the sound of a huge wave crashing.

“Luring,” Will corrected. “Jason will be luring him.” His two friends saluted before running off to pick up weapons – Lou probably some kind of magic ball, and Butch a spear. That left Will with Nico. Again.

Making sure everyone’s attention was directed elsewhere, the Captain of The Apollo quickly sat down again, his expression melting into worry.

Nico didn’t look comfortable. His elbows were bent in a right angle behind his back and there was another length of Lou’s enchanted chain wrapped around his forearms. He was lying on his stomach with his chin rested heavily on the deck, and Will frowned as he saw there was a rag tied around the merman’s mouth. Reaching over, the blond pirate undid the knots and pulled it away. Nico growled.

“I didn’t mean that to happen,” Will told him apologetically.

“Yeah?” Nico replied, shifting his weight and flinching as something dug into him. “You don’t seem to mean a lot of things, Solace.”

Will held up the rag.

“Lou didn’t do this, did she?” he asked, changing the subject. Nico pursed his lips and shook his head no.

“Butch then?”

The scowl told Will what he wanted to know.

“Why?”

Nico glared at him in a way that dared him to argue as he said, “I bit him.”

Will raised his eyebrows.

“Why would you do that?”

Now it was Nico’s turn to look incredulous.

“You’re joking, right?” he snapped. Will put his hands up.

“Woah, sorry,” he said. Then he dropped the rag and put his hands on Nico’s shoulders.

“Now,” said Will, “I’m going to lift you up again Nico, okay?”

Nico shuffled himself around again to stare at the pirate Captain. Will let go of his shoulders and watched, confused, as Nico managed to lift his head off the deck a little. Will was close enough he could smell the son of Hades’ hair. For some reason it reminded him of fresh underground caves.

“What are you trying to do, Will?” Nico suddenly asked, and the blond demigod was a little bit taken aback by the sincere amount of emotion on Nico’s face. “I don’t understand.”

“What do you mean?”

The merman blinked slowly. Will felt himself hypnotised by the son of Hades’ dark eyes. He was still positive they could see right through him.

“You want Percy to leave,” Nico said. His eyebrows drew together, but this time he didn’t look angry. He looked anguished. And lost. “But you don’t want to give me to him so he does. I’m a hostage that you want something from, but you haven’t lifted a finger against me.” He breathed in deeply. “What are you trying to do?”

Will stared at him for the longest time. Only when Nico’s gaze felt like it was drilling holes in his head did he look away, biting his lip.

“I…” he closed his eyes. “I’m not sure anymore, Nico. I just don’t know.”

Nico looked away, moving his head so Will couldn’t see his face.

“Well, when you get it…” He let his breath out. “Tell me.”

Will somehow ended up with a small, fond smile worming its way onto his face, and impulse drove him to peck a small kiss to his own fingertips before pressing them against Nico’s closed gills. The merman’s ear fins twitched in response.

As he gathered Nico’s weight in his arms, Will was surprised to see the son of Hades’ eyes on him again, instead of the fight going on near the ship.

“I don’t think you can beat Percy,” he said suddenly. Will cocked his head. “Whatever you do won’t be enough. He’s not book smart like Annabeth and he comes across as a bit of an idiot, but he’s battle cunning.”

Putting Nico down once they’d reached the side closest to Jason and Percy’s fight, the pirate Captain looked out to the roiling sea before he replied.

“But,” said Will softly, “isn’t that what Jason’s for?” He gazed down at Nico again. “To sap that battle cunning before we spring the trap?”

Nico swallowed and pursed his lips, his expression going aggressively blank. Without breaking eye-contact, Will slid his hand down his own leg, coming to the short sheath he kept there. Gripping the hilt of it, he carefully pulled out a small, sharp dagger. The corner of Nico’s mouth lifted in a snarl and his eyes abruptly flashed with what was definitely a feeling of betrayal. The blond pirate shook his head.

“I mean what I said before, Nico,” he told the merman. “You’re not here for me to hurt, and I won’t. That much I’m sure of.” He bit his lip, wondering how he’d started off with all the cards to this game and was now short on about half of them. “I promise.”

He gently put the cold metal dagger in the dip of Nico’s throat, careful to keep it on the blunt side, before looking up again. He could feel the son of Hades tense impossibly under him, and on another impulse, put his free hand between Nico’s shoulder blades – soft and reassuring. Then he breathed in and yelled.

“Oi, Jackson!”

And as the battle simmered down and Percy turned to face the ship, Will’s face became steely. He was still a pirate – and he still had to protect his treasure.

He just wasn’t sure what kind of treasure Nico was anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Will is experiencing now is called Lima Syndrome, and it’s like Stockholm, but where Stockholm is the captive sympathising with the kidnapper, Lima is the kidnapper sympathising with the captive. Does that make sense?


	9. Where One Leaves...

Nico watched as Percy’s face completely dropped. It went from raging power to utter panic in two seconds flat, and he felt the sudden and unwelcome feeling of a stinging nose and prickling eyes. _I’m sorry, Percy,_ he thought. _But I promised on the Styx. I can’t leave, so you have to._

“Nico!” the merman yelled, his twister sinking into the water until he was the same height as the ship. He gave a desperate but somehow still madly intimidating glare to Will. “Don’t touch him, _pirate,”_ he spat. “Give me back my little brother or I’ll sink this ship.”

“Too late, no, and you can’t,” Will retorted, replying to Percy’s demands in order.

“The gods might not be able to,” the son of Poseidon snarled, “but this is demigod business. You said so yourself. I can sink this ship, and I will!”

“Will you?” The human son of Apollo looked deliberately down at the dagger he was holding to Nico’s throat. “Because I was under the impression you wanted him back alive.”

Percy reeled back, thrown for the loop. Nico wasn’t completely unaffected either – regardless of how much they’d been in each other’s company, he still didn’t _really_ know Will. Would he actually kill Nico just so no one else could have him?

The memory of the sunrise they’d watched together came swimming into his mind and Nico unwillingly found himself relaxing. As a prisoner, he could have been treated _so_ much worse. The hand on his back was warm and the cold knife wasn’t quite touching his skin. Will wouldn’t do anything to him… he doubted there was a truly violent bone in his body. Pirate or no, Will wasn’t the kind of guy who intentionally picked physical fights for himself.

Verbal was more his area.

“No way,” Percy whispered. “You wouldn’t.”

Will made an expression of faux thinking.

“I’m a pirate, Jackson,” he finally said. “After everything you’ve seen, you think I don’t have the guts?”

Nico sincerely hoped he didn’t.

Percy swallowed. If Annabeth was here, she’d be able to call Will out on his bluff, tear the ship apart and send the lot down to the depths. Percy was a great fighter, but he relied too much on that alone. The fine art of manipulation was an area in which he seriously lacked, and unluckily for him it was a place Will obviously knew how to navigate. Couple this with his hero complex, and it’s not looking good for Nico’s means of escape.

“Leave my ship,” Will demanded, his voice hard. Percy didn’t reply or make a move to go and Will shifted the knife closer to Nico’s skin.

“Nico…”

The son of Hades made eye contact with his distraught friend. Opening his mouth, he said in the language of the undersea demigods, “ _I can take care of myself, Percy. We’ll see each other again, promise.”_

“ _You promise, do you?”_ Percy repeated, his tone tight with panic and anger. He glanced at Will, clear contempt written all over his face, expression just _oozing_ homicidal vibes.

Nico jerked his head in assent. The son of Poseidon slowly and reluctantly sheathed his sword, moving like something was physically stabbing him whenever he wasn’t completely still. His pride had probably collapsed into tiny, spikey pieces, and guilt would be eating at him for the rest of his life. Nico knew this because he knew Percy Jackson.

Without a word the black haired merman retreated from the ship, and sent one last evil-eye in Will’s direction before the twister collapsed in a huge wave, spraying water all over _The Apollo_ and its occupants, and inadvertently creating a geyser that reached past the birds nest that stayed in the air for an unnatural amount of time before thundering back into the sea, making the surface white with froth and bubbles. Behind Nico, Will breathed out loudly, his arm relaxing and the dagger disappearing immediately.

“Apollo’s sunny _ass,”_ Lou Ellen whispered, almost falling to her knees beside Nico. “That was _intense._ Since when have my knees every felt his noodley? Never, that’s since when.”

Nico stared, refusing to be sad but feeling like it anyway, as the ripples spread out from where Percy had a sunk below the waves. _This_ close. Just one Styx promise away from freedom. And maybe a less exhausted merman hero.

Jason appeared back on deck and suddenly he was without a shirt. Nico blushed rose pink and his neck snapped as he practically dove to look away. If he had to get the hots for a human, it may as well be-

“Is everyone okay?” Will Solace called, scanning his crew. Murmurs of ‘yes,’ and ‘partially,’ along with one cheeky bastard saying ‘I see that every day’ answered him. Seeming content with that, Will turned back to Nico and knelt behind him.

“The plan from here, Death Boy,” he started, tugging at the enchanted chain, “is to get away from here as fast as half-godly possible.”

Nico left his mouth on autopilot while his mentality recovered.

“Brilliant plan,” he snapped, and Will slowed in untying him, peeking his head around so Nico could see him in the corner of his eye.

“I didn’t hurt you did I?” he asked. Nico forced himself to look the other way.

“You’re hurting me by keeping me out of the water,” he growled brusquely, not in the mood to care about what the repercussions for any of this might be. “My skin is so dry it’ll crack like sandpaper any day now. Let me go.”

“If you promise on the Styx to come back, and not swim off with anyone who approaches you,” Will immediately replied.

_Great. More promises on the Styx._ But Will was offering what Nico had been needing for what seemed like years. His tail had started aching with a vengeance. Sighing, the merman watched seawater creep across the deck as he said, “I promise on the Styx.”

Thunder bound his words as Will finally unwound the last of Lou’s chain, letting Nico slide his arms around him. Then he got to his knees beside the fuming demigod and lifted him into his arms, sleeves dragging in the dirty water without him noticing.

“I’ll whistle when you need to come back,” Will said as they neared the edge.

“I’m not a dog!” Nico objected vehemently. Will just smiled.

“Nah, you’re cuter than that.”

Nico was dumped unceremoniously over the side with a look of incredulity that the sea took pleasure in slapping off. _Stupid pirate. Stupid, stupid, dumb pirate with bouncy hair and pretty eyes._

_Stupid Nico, for even thinking that._

_The Apollo_ ’s hull was riddled with barnacle shells, but altogether still the same smooth base that Nico had seen the day he’d been kidnapped. He flicked his tail, feeling it throb in protest. Ignoring everything that wasn’t the water finally – _finally –_ touching his scales and skin, Nico gave a stern pep-talk to his tail about how it better not give out on him or he’d do something really, really ridiculous in revenge.

Working up to a streamline, Nico started swimming faster and faster, until he was just a black blur in the water. Nothing could catch him now – not even Will with his ultrasonic whistle and nice tan. The shadows of the sea were Nico’s to control, and power built up in his palms, all the feelings that came with being back in the ocean after so long out of it making his entire being fizzle with untapped potential. He was invincible.

The hull of the ship he crashed into at approximately twenty-one knots per hour seemed to think otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twenty-one knots/h is around 40km/h, or for you Americans, 24miles 1504yrds. (I did some maths and if it’s wrong, reserve judgement, as I am very bad at maths) 
> 
> This is late because I got depressed about my writing and about a lot of things in general. I think I’m better now – I wrote this, I guess. Sorry, I really am trying.   
> Jasmine Out!


	10. ...Another Appears

“ _Oh,_ for the _love_ of _Hades!”_ Nico yelled, punctuating every second word with a spike of anger and pain. He cradled his head in his hands, drifting downwards. _Gods_ that _smarts._

“What the-” Nico went off on a stream of bubbled and garbled words, swearing his heart out in mermish and not caring what heard him. Gingerly touching his forehead, the prince of Hades winced as his skin tingled extremely unpleasantly. He could feel his eye throbbing and his head pounding and knew his face would be a mess of bruises if he didn’t do something about it. Not that he could. Healing had never been his area of expertise.

A small ribbon of blood floated away before Nico’s eyes and he stopped touching his face immediately. Blood would attract sharks faster than seaweed pizza attracted Percy. He’d better get out of the area fast, or he’d end up merman-chum without his sword to defend himself.

Nico turned his body and began swimming back, but the pressure of water on his bruising and slightly broken face made tears bead in his eyes and he had to slow to a stop. Glancing up, Nico sighed.

“I’ll have to swim above the surface,” he mumbled, slowly heading for the light above him. His head broke the small waves and his gills closed, letting his previously dormant lungs take over and filter oxygen into his system. He was just about to start back towards where he could see _The Apollo_ on the horizon when he remembered that he’d hit _something very big_ and _very hard_ and that it had forced him to swim with the wind on his cheeks rather than ocean currents.

Nico turned around.

A ship bobbed in the water no less than four tail-lengths from him, its hull a dull gold and not a barnacle on it. The prow had a figure on it, and Nico drifted to the side to see it. A stone carving of a man who looked astonishingly like Will was fixed there, and his expression was one of powerful cruelty. His marbled eyes seemed to follow Nico as he flailed back in surprise.

“What was that?”

A high, nasally voice from the close by deck of the ship spooked Nico into the shadow it threw. Just in time, too, as the outline of a lanky guy suddenly appeared on the water. Nico watched, tense as a bowstring, as the human slowly looked around.

“What was what, Octavian?”

Another person appeared, this one much bulkier than the skinny thing beside him. But it was clear that the nasally boy was in charge. He had an air about him, like, _I’ll stab you with my words and while your down, someone will stab you for real._

“There was a splash,” lanky – Octavian – said. “We’re in calm waters and the sun’s just reaching noonday. Nothing that big should be this close to the surface for another few hours.”

“It was big?”

“The size of a person.”

Nico’s breathing stilled and he gripped the side of the ship like it would help him hide. Cursing the lack of barnacle rocks to help him hold on, he tried shifting quietly through the water towards the front of the ship, so he’d at least be out of sight.

Octavian’s shadowy head followed his direction.

The merman was about to sink like a rock and then high-tail it out of there, until he noticed Octavian’s head had kept on going until Nico could see a pointy chin and straight nose silhouetted on the near-still sea. He was looking all the way to the horizon.

Octavian’s shadow’s lips peeled back in a shark-toothed grin wide enough to show on the water.

“Oh, Kahale,” he said, and the sea suddenly felt a lot colder for the malicious delight in his voice. Nico chanced a glance up, long enough to see Octavian’s attention fixed at something far away and not him. He began to relax, and maybe he could leave unnoticed.

Octavian’s next words stopped him in a beat.

“ _The Apollo,”_ the lanky boy cooed, and it was an evil coo that Nico never wanted to hear again, especially when it was talking about Will’s ship. “My dear, long-lost, disgrace of a half-brother – what’re you doing in these waters, hm?” Like Will was right there and they were having a conversation. “Here, where the mermaids swim. Are you still hoping you’ll find one? Even if you did it wouldn’t redeem you.”

Octavian turned to Kahale. “Set a course for that ship,” he ordered, pointing just in case Kahale didn’t know which ship Octavian was speaking about. Kahale nodded and his shadow retreated from the surface. Nico heard a sharp barking command and sank down in the water until his nose was covered.

 _Not good,_ he thought. _Really not good._

Or is it?

If Octavian boarded _The Apollo_ – and he sounded like he had every intention of bringing some pain with him – wouldn’t it set Nico free? Will might even die, and all his Styx promises would become void. He’d be able to leave and go back to Half-Blood City. He’d see Percy and Annabeth and his father again, and could put this whole experience behind him as a bad memory.

Nico imagined Octavian burying a spindly sword in Will’s chest, thinking he wouldn’t feel anything.

It was like a punch to the stomach. Like he’d been run through instead of the imaginary Will. Nico felt his whole body tingle with fear and premature depression, reminding him vividly of the days he’d spent hovering around Bianca’s memorial stone, his tears mixing with the salt water and his nose stinging. Will’s death, even just projected in his mind, was enough to make Nico cover his mouth.

Nico looked at Octavian again. He was grinning at _The Apollo_ like he’d seen a nice piece of meat, and couldn’t wait to cut it to bits.

Screwing his face up, preparing for a fair amount of pain from his nose, Nico returned underwater. He breathed deeply once, steeling his nerves, and then took off back towards Will.

* * *

 

“Go!”

Nico soared into the air, past the railing of _The Apollo,_ and landed on the deck with an ungraceful slap. He’d swum down around twenty metres before shooting back up, tail working double-time to get him high enough out of the water to get him back onto the ship. He felt like a bullet when he exited the sea, or an unwilling fisherman’s catch.

Nico related more to the second one.

Regardless, the Prince of Hades dragged himself across the quickly dampening wood, his body streaming water and leaving a trail behind him as he struggled towards where he could see Will behind the captain’s wheel.

“Nico?”

Will abandoned the steering and ran down the stairs, skipping three or four at a time in his haste. He reached Nico in a matter of seconds, and winced when he saw the merman’s still bleeding nose. The pressure of water on Nico’s face had made the whole break worse. His brain felt fuzzy.

Will’s fingers fluttered over his forehead, frowning now at the diluted blood following the water tracks down Nico’s chin. “What happened to you?”

“Another ship,” Nico managed, his voice bubbling. He pinched the bridge of his nose and continued. “Not far off. They’ll be here in fifteen minutes. We have to go.”

“What?” Will came closer. “Another ship? Where? Did they find you?”

Nico snarled. They didn’t have _time_ for this.

“Nico please, I want to help you-”

“ _Octavian!”_

Will’s whole body went stiff. His blue eyes went wide and he stared at Nico in growing horror, his hand still reached out to touch the merman.

“Octavian’s coming, Will,” Nico said, propping himself up on his elbow and cradling his nose. “Turn us around. Get Grace in the sails – it doesn’t matter how you do it, just get out of here.”

Will’s eyes were turning steely and his muscles going taut. Nico had never seen Will angry before, and a small part of him was scared. He’d seen what happened to nice people when they were pushed too hard.

“Did he do this to you?”

Nico frowned. “Who?”

“Octavian,” Will hissed, fingers brushing Nico’s face. “Did he hurt you?”

Nico flinched as he remembered.

“Ah, no,” he said. “I ran into his ship.”

“Ran into-”

“Swam into his ship. I swam into it. Are you happy? Now, _turn the boat around!”_

Will stayed on the deck beside Nico.

“Are you _stupid,_ Will!” the merman shouted. “You need to get away from that psycho!”

Will shook his head, his hands back on Nico’s face and feeling around his nose for any further breaks.

“Not while you’re bleeding all over my ship.”

“I can take care of myself!” Nico shouted, and in a moment of panicked rage he dabbed at his cheeks without thinking, the bead of water on the tip of his finger not looking any different from all the others, but when he touched it to his nose it disappeared. The pain radiating from his face suddenly eased, eventually stopping altogether, and Nico tried to hold back his sigh of relief. The blood flow halted, and as Nico let go of the bridge of his nose he felt it click back into place. He didn’t notice how much that had hurt until he’d fixed it.

Then he realised his mistake.

Will was staring at him, expression unreadable. Nico’s insides coiled in sudden fear and horror because, oh sure, Nico, just show the pirate who _kidnapped you for those tears_ exactly where they are and how they work! _Great_ idea!

He waited to be hit. Will knew now that he didn’t need Nico to cry with the intention of healing for the tears to work, and he was just one broken nose away from everything he’d ever wanted and then some.

Nico dug the heels of his palms into the deck and slid backwards, watching Will unwaveringly with wariness and, no matter how much he tried to hide it, fear. The Captain’s gaze was locked on his cheek, where water was still streaming.

Will stood up and turned around.

“Jason!” he yelled. “Get in the sails and move those winds! Butch, take the wheel. Lou, round up the crew. Tell them to arm themselves and ready the canons. Prepare for an attack.”

Jason took off from the deck, leaving the steering to Butch as Lou saluted and sprinted off below deck, shouting orders. Will spared a look for Nico which clearly said _I’ll be back,_ before he headed off to his cabin, shoulders rolling. Nico stayed on the wooden floor, and the moment Will was out of sight he scrubbed at his face with the back of his hand, trying to get rid of all the drips there in case they were tears. He wished he had a shirt or a piece of cloth or something that would dry his cheeks.

He bubbled some curses in mermish, slamming his fist against the deck. He was so _stupid._ All this time hiding from Will, keeping his trust close by while holding Will at arm’s length, and in a blind fit of annoyance he’d revealed that he c _ould_ cry for that stupid pirate.

If his face was broken enough.

Nico steeled his nerves as the cabin door was opened again, and Will stepped out, decked completely in his full Captain’s outfit. Nico had never seen it before, and he covered the bottom half of his face so his blush wasn’t obvious. His tail flicked nervously.

Will had a black headband in his hair and earrings hanging from his right ear, gold looking like it was dripping onto the shoulder of his blood-red coat. It hung to his knees, the embroidered bottom of the coat occasionally brushing the tops of black boots that were fitted over his almost navy pants. Will’s scabbard was attached to a belt at his waist. His narrowed stare was directed at the horizon, where Octavian’s ship was steadily approaching, growing larger every minute.

“Nico.”

Nico hated being looked down on, and tried to gain some sort of height without meeting Will’s eye. He managed a graceful flop onto his butt, and bent his dark tail up at the joint, resting his elbows on it to appear casual. Then he glared up.

“I’m sorry.”

Nico stopped glaring. Will couldn’t sit down, but he took the few steps to the railing of _The Apollo,_ rubbing his face with his hands.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he continued. “I’m a son of Apollo, remember. I could have healed you. One song, and you would have been good as new.” When Will emerged from behind his hands he looked distressed. “But now I know. I know more about the property of merman tears – you don’t have to be crying with the intent to heal yourself or someone else for them to work.” He stared at Nico, his expression oddly curled, like he was fighting something in his head. “Do you have any idea how much that information is worth?”

Nico’s lip started twisting in a snarl, but Will interrupted him again.

“It’s worth a life to some people, Nico. They’d _kill_ to know that. Octavian – “ he jabbed a thumb behind him “ – would sell his own family for that kind of detail.” His expression darkened. “Or torture them.”

He glanced back at Nico.

“If he finds you here, he’ll know I know something. Something important. And I – “ he broke off for a moment. “I don’t know how long I’d last against him if he wanted something from me. I’d like to think I’d keep silent til he killed me but…” His eyes bored into Nico’s. “I don’t know how safe your secret is with me.

“So you need to go.”

Nico’s arms slipped off his tail. He stared at Will blankly, like he knew he was saying something but wasn’t understanding the words. They stayed in that stifling, shocked silence for a whole minute before Will called his name again.

“Nico.” He pointed to the side of the ship. “Escape. Escape now, before Octavian arrives.”

Nico, not saying anything, slowly shook his head. Will glanced over his shoulder, and he saw Octavian’s ship had crept even closer. He could make out the figure standing on the prow, body clad in dark blue and blond hair whipping in the wind.

“We don’t have time for this,” Will muttered, and in three short steps, he’d closed the distance between him and the merman. Nico tensed when Will bent down, and hissed when he felt arms touch his shoulders and tail. Will picked him up and marched back towards the railing, and Nico finally understood.

“After all that effort you went to to keep me, you’re just going to throw me other the side?” he exclaimed.

“It’s safe,” Will defended. “And don’t come to this part of the sea for a week or so. Octavian’s not stupid, and I don’t want him to find you.”

“You’ll take on the hero of the ocean, but one pirate scares you into submission?”

Will looked away, towards the approaching ship.

“You don’t know Octavian,” he said darkly. “You weren’t in danger with Percy.”

He stopped at the side, resting his elbows on the wood. “I don’t want to do this either, you know,” he said. Nico scowled.

“Yeah, letting go of precious cargo must be a real bummer,” he snapped. Will offered him a small smile.

“Ah, here was me thinking we were almost friends, and you go say something like that.” The pirate sighed. “It was nice meeting you, Nico di Angelo.”

“Will, wait-”

But Nico was already falling. He hit the water with his arm still outstretched, like if he tried hard enough he’d be able to wrap his fingers in Will’s coat and pull him over as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My villain has finally appeared.  
> I don’t know when I’ll be able to update next, but rest assured I have started on chapter 11. Sorry for the wait – again – but I’m conscious of this nasty cliffie so I’ll make room for writing between the shitstorm that is my life at the moment.  
> Jasmine Out!


	11. Augur

**Chapter 11:**

**Augur**

Nico sank, his tail cutting a path through the water, so that by the time he came out of his shock he was at least seventy feet down and five minutes short of being able to get back to the surface and save Will. Octavian was closing in fast – the merman could see the hull of his ship already, and it was coming with disturbing swiftness for _The Apollo._ By the time Nico got there he’d be too late. His sword wouldn’t be any use against humans on dry land. Unless they wandered close enough for him to poke.

He made way towards the foreign ship, shadows peeling themselves from the gradually darkening water below him and rushing dexterously for the barnacled hull, Nico at their head. He was _so_ mad. Octavian looked like the lecherous sort, and Nico was fast becoming a new member of the Octavian-Haters club. He’d invaded mermaid waters, indirectly threatened Nico and his way of life and his ship had dented Nico’s face so much so he’d revealed the closest guarded secret of his species.

And somehow, all of that paled, and seemed unimportant. Nico wasn’t rushing a pirate vessel because he was in danger, or because his family was, or to give it a good thump in return for a smashed nose.

Will’s face, blanched in horror and posture stiff as he tried to disguise the shuddering of his suddenly clenched fists: it kept playing over and over again in his eyes. Exactly what he was feeling, Nico wasn’t about to analyse, but the pirate who’d fought Percy Jackson and won and captured the Prince of Hades didn’t get to look like that at the sound of a single man’s name.

Nico wanted to save Will. And he wanted to add a new shipwreck to the bottom of the ocean. It was a happy day under the sea when both his interests complimented each other.

 

 _Augur_ was pulling in beside _The Apollo,_ soft waves lapping the sides as it came to a supernaturally gentle stop. Its sails dropped and the plank lowered all before Will’s crew could blink, and he unsheathed his sword before Octavian was even in view. Like his ship, Octavian tended to turn up with a deft swiftness that shouldn’t exist outside the Underworld.

“William Solace.”

And there he was, standing in a spot that had definitely been inhabiting nothing but air a second ago. He looked no older than when Will had seen him last, and he was wearing the same rat-like grin he had when he’d told Will keel-hauling was the least of his worries if they crossed tides again.

Will said nothing. His crew inched closer to him until they were fanned out at his back. Lou was holding a gun almost half her size, and had it hefted against her shoulder like it weighed the equivalent of a feather cap. Butch had gone for a ball and chain with sporadic armour bits covering whatever Butch felt he needed most. Shins, not chest, it seemed.

Jason, bless him, had equipped himself with his golden coin and a shining sneer, purple shirt still in a condition that didn’t leave the imagination much to speculate. He looked like the wolf-boy he’d been raised as.

Raising his hand, Will offered Octavian a one-finger salute – you know which finger it was. The rat-like grin dropped to a rat-like scowl. Octavian was just… rat-like.

Apparently everyone else was under the same assumptions, because when Will said, “We have a pest problem, lads and lad-ettes,” there was an overall snort of agreement, and Octavian got the message loud and clear. He yanked his sword out of where he’d buried it in the wood of his ship, striding across the plank and boarding _The Apollo._ His crew followed.

“You know, brother,” Octavian began, “that I’m walking away from this with your body in tow. Your answer to the next question decides whether it’ll be unconscious” – his smile flashed back – “or dead.”

From beside Will, Lou asked in a high-pitched voice, “Am I the greatest pain in the _podex_ to sail the seven mighty seas?”

“Yes,” Will said immediately, breaking into a grin.

“Do I look like an interbred rodent?”

“Yep.”

“Does this coat make me look like I’m trying too hard?”

“I can’t recall a time it hasn’t.”

Butch giggled as Will and Lou continued to ignore Octavian’s rising temperature, bantering while Lou kept imitating him. Will snuck a glance at Octavian, and was delighted to see the rage on his face. He was still so angry – _so angry –_ about Nico getting hurt because of his half-brother, and that because Octavian was the most pathetic person to exist, the something that had been budding between he and Nico was cut short. Maye Nico hadn’t felt it, but Will –

Classic mistake. His mind had wandered, and his guard had slackened. The tip of Octavian’s sword point was under Will’s chin and a cruel snarl was right in his face. He tilted his head back but Octavian took a step forward until they were almost touching. The barrel of Lou’s gun swung around to point at Octavian.

“Step back,” she warned.

“He’s chosen,” Octavian replied. “He’s leaving with a blood trail behind him.”

 _Well,_ Will thought blandly, _at least dead men don’t talk._

“I’ll shoot you if you touch him.” Lou gestured with her head to Jason. “He’ll run you through, and Butch will splatter what’s left of your skull.”

Octavian’s eyes darted between the four of them and slowly, reluctantly, he stepped back, keeping his sword aimed at Will. His lips parted.

It was so unexpected and so anticlimactic, said the same way some people would say ‘Okay’ that it took a moment for Will to process what Octavian had said.

“Attack.”

The pirates of the _Augur_ fell on Will’s crew. One of them spun Lou away, tipping the barrel of her gun to face the sky so her first shot fired into the distance before tackling her to the ground. Jason was immediately engaged in a vicious battle, where his opponent had none of the finesse but plenty of aggression. Butch became a spikey whirlwind of flying chains and danger, and the sudden battle continued by giving him a wide berth.

Will brought up his sword as Octavian shot at him, blocking overhand just in time. His half-brother may be weak, but speed was on his side for the moment. How _Will_ was the disgrace and not Octavian was anybody’s guess. At least he could handle a fight properly.

“So, is the end-game here, ‘Tavi?” Will taunted as he ducked under Octavian’s blade, kicking his arm as he twisted around. “No grand public hanging for _The Apollo_ ’s handsome captain?”

Octavian, usually too busy trying to make up for his abysmal swordsmanship to trash-talk, surprised Will when he retorted, “I don’t care where you die as long as I get to see it.”

That something twisted in Will’s gut again, and by accident he met Octavian’s eye, a paler shade of blue than his and narrowed, filled with so much restrained sadistic energy that Will was sure something cold and slimy had wormed its way into his shirt and was crawling down his spine. He shuddered in disgust.

A blade swiped across Will’s belly, a shallow cut that drew a thin line of blood from hip-bone to ribs. He jerked back and Octavian grinned, swooping in and clearly hoping to catch Will again while he was off his guard and reeling. The back of Will’s hand received a slash when he put it over the wound, plastering his shirt into it in a pseudo-bandage. His upper arm was the next casualty. Octavian had been practicing, obviously; to his glee and Will’s detriment. Burning hatred rose in his stomach like acid, the pain from the cuts adding fuel to his fire and sending a blinding glow into the air around him.

Storming at Octavian, ready for the counter-strike that would send him down, Will pulled his sword back to run his half-brother through, spinning him around so his back pressed against the side of the ship. Nothing could have frozen the fire in his lungs or saved Octavian from an immediate, sticky end.

Nothing, except pale blue eyes alighting on the wooden trough behind Will, still erect under the mast, it’s shades torn but intact and the remains of Lou’s enchanted chain hanging from the hook just above. Will watched the puzzle pieces click in Octavian’s brain, and the Arctic took up residence in his chest. His sword point hovered, and didn’t fall.

“So, William. Where’s the mermaid?”

Obviously, this was the perfect moment for Octavian’s ship to suddenly begin shaking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m just doing a mass update and finishing the story in one go, so I don’t post a chapter then go silent again.   
> Sorry for the long, long looooooooong wait you guys, but I do have a life. I’ve had some changes, some realisations, my profile explains everything (when I fix it up).   
> I’m changing my username too, in light of these realisations and life changes n’other fancy things.   
> Hope you enjoy the rest of the story!  
> Frost Out!


	12. Half-Brother Mine

**Chapter 12:**

**Half-Brother Mine**

_Augur_ bucked against _The Apollo,_ sending both ships knocking against either other and sudden waves lapping up the sides. Will lurched forward, his sword aimed at Octavian’s front, and prayed to all the gods that the point would find its mark and finish this problem before it became unmanageable.

Will, surprise surprise, wasn’t in much favour with the gods at the moment. So, with a lecherous grin that attracted rodents and not much else, Octavian slipped along the railings out of reach of Will’s revenge. Gritting his teeth, biting down on a snarl, Will sprang after him, loathing and fear brewing some toxic concoction in his stomach because Octavian was looking like he’d already won.

“You had one, didn’t you?” Octavian said, plaguing Will with snide and gleeful grins as he lunged and missed, lunged again and missed. “A mermaid?”

“I _wanted_ one,” Will snapped, sword whistling as it tried again to make a new sheath out of Octavian’s ribcage. “I didn’t _get_ one! If you could be so kind as to-”

Octavian’s sword made an unholy scraping sound as the clashed with Will’s, the noise reverberating in his chest and making his eyes shake. It was accompanied by a deafening splash from behind him, but when Will turned to check it out Octavian’s blade whipped across his face. Pain blossomed like a sick flower somewhere on his cheek. Black spots flitted in and out of his sight, and sheer panic at what Octavian might do to him was all that saved his life.

Will fell back into the deck, dropping gracelessly to the wood and rolling away, earrings knocking against his neck. He blinked sweat from his lashes and growled low and loud, so angry at how Octavian made him feel, at how he knew this would end up, at how he’d already lost something precious and now was going to pay for it with his life.

Scrambling to his feet, Will wiped his nose and got into a defensive pose, lip ticked up hatefully.

“Why don’t you sail off,” he said, “and show everyone back home who the _real_ family disappointment is.”

“Why?” a voice that definitely didn’t belong to Octavian said from behind him. “When he can take you instead.”

Will reacted quickly, but since the gods still hated him, it wasn’t quickly enough. Something hard and merciless smashed into his shoulder, catapulting him to his knees. They smacked the wood so hard bruises began flourishing immediately, as if Will had nothing else to worry about. Another kick struck his wrist, sending his sword spinning and hand throbbing. Golden flecks sprinkled the edge of Will’s vision but he flailed anyway, writhing to get away from his assailant and his own thoughts.

Octavian had tricked him.

 _Nope nope nope,_ Will’s brain said as he fell onto his side.

But he _did._

 _Blasphemy,_ Will’s brain refuted.

Whether you like it or not, he did.

_Do you wanna go?_

Will refused to resort to crawling away from whatever trap his half-brother had set up for him, and refused to bend any lower than his knees when a crooked forearm put him in a headlock. Will, as a pirate who wasn’t above much, sank his teeth into the brown thumb that had been foolish enough to wander near his mouth. There was a curse from above him before Will was jerked backwards.

For good measure, the owner of the brown thumb punched him in the face. Warm blood dripped from Will’s lip, and he half expected it to start sizzling. Metaphorically, because he was furious enough for it to, and literally, because his father was the god of the sun, where heat was his speciality.

Obnoxiously spitting saliva onto the deck, Will said, “He can take me. But if he needs help taking me _down,_ then he should seriously consider whether or not _I’m_ the disappointment here.”

The forearm tightened until there was barely enough room for Will to breathe.

“Don’t talk to Octavian like that-”

“Don’t talk to me like that, brother mine,” Octavian interrupted, waltzing the few metres between him, Will and the stranger. He was acting as if he’d defeated the captain of _The Apollo_ singlehandedly, which he most definitely had not.

“How else am I meant to talk to you, then?” Will asked sarcastically. “Your face puts a lot of people off of talking to you any other way.”

Octavian slapped him, and Will’s split lip and cheek stung brilliantly. He spat again, this time carefully taking aim. A globule of saliva and blood landed on Octavian’s shoe, and Will giggled.

“ _Ugh.”_

Snatching a handful of Will’s hair, Octavian yanked Will’s head back and swooped down until they were nose-to-nose, scowling into each other’s faces. Tension crackled between them until a slow, disgusting smile slimed its way onto Octavian’s mouth. Sunlight bounced off his sword as he dragged it around, the tip red, and Will felt something small, sharp and cold touch his abdomen through the tear in his shirt. A trickle of his own blood rolled onto his skin.

“I could split you up the middle,” Octavian murmured. “Like a sacrifice. Have you ever heard of being hung, drawn and quartered, Will? Doesn’t it sound fun?”

Will swallowed. “Sounds like a blast,” he said.

“It does, doesn’t it?”

“Hey!”

Will’s blood, both inside and out, froze. What little air he could get was sucked out of his lungs as though Octavian had punched him and his muscles seized.

He’d been waiting for someone of his crew to notice him and maybe come to his aid, but there was a frightening lack of people he recognised inhabiting his ship at the moment. Jason, who could plunge in with his sword and cut Octavian in half, had disappeared, along with his opponents. Lou, who could blast whoever was holding Will down to Hades, was as silent as her inactive weapon. Now he was relying on a miracle mutiny from Octavian’s ship. Any form of help, Will thought, would be beyond welcome.

Except this kind.

Eerie, diluted blue eyes flickered away from Will’s face towards the opposite railing, where traitorous midday sun was illuminating dark scales, pale skin, and a diadem made of Stygian metal and black pearls. Unlike Will, Octavian didn’t need to look closer at the crown to know what it meant.

“Nico di Angelo,” he breathed. Thank the gods for small mercies – at least he wasn’t breathing in Will’s face. “The Prince of Hades. What is he…”

A shallow cut slashed Will’s front the second his violent squirming started. Octavian barely dodged having his nose crushed to bits by Will’s forehead as Will snapped his body upwards, vainly trying to wrest himself out of the strong grip that was holding him down. The memory of his empty ship was thrown out of his head.

“By all the _gods!”_ he yelled, chest heaving with the effort of keeping enough air in his lungs. “Nico, _get out of here!”_

Nico’s blazing stare moved from Octavian to Will, who would have quailed if he hadn’t been so sure the anger in those black iris’ wasn’t directed at him.

“I _can’t,”_ Nico snapped. Dripping water all over the deck, Nico swung his tail around until he was seated on the railing. Shadows roamed across his arms, materialising into a long sword before slinking away to hide around his fins.

“As a warrior of the merpeople,” Nico began, “and a protector of the city, I’m sworn to sink any pirate seeking to hurt my family.” His sword point levelled at Octavian, his eyes still on Will. “And I vowed on the Styx not to leave this ship.” The temperature dropped at least two degrees. “Also, Octavian…”

There was a collective, terrified silence.

“…you’re an asshole.”

Nico launched himself across the ship without warning, the shadows acting like a spring and propelling him straight at the unfortunate pirate.


	13. Some Plan, di Angelo

**Chapter 13:**

**Some Plan, di Angelo**

Despite being brothers, Will and Octavian had near nothing in common. Nico, from the view point of a catapulting merman who had a few unresolved feelings for the former, could see this quite clearly in how they reacted to him coming at them.

Will looked on the verge of a terrified, homicidal rampage. Octavian appeared torn between eagerness and slight concern.

 _He should be_ a lot _concerned,_ Nico thought savagely, a snarl twisting his humanoid face into something feral and otherworldly. It took some directing, but his sword was making a promising target out of Octavian’s stomach and Nico had never felt this level of bloodlust before, not even when the Titans had converged on Half-Blood City and wreaked havoc.

_The plan the plan the plan the plan, di Angelo._

Octavian side-stepped the moment before Nico gutted him. Sword passing harmlessly through the Captain’s coat, Nico had a few seconds to brace for impact with the ship’s deck. His rage blinded him to the tearing of his skin against the wood, skidding across the deck until he connected with the side with a disturbing _smack._ The tips of his tail tingled unpleasantly.

“Nico!” Will’s voice was working against him, becoming hoarser the more he yelled. “Get away– _run!”_

“Solace, I am _half fish!”_ Nico snapped back.  

Levering himself onto his scraped elbows, Nico called the shadows to him again. His skin was bubbling with fury and so the shadows were too, crawling to him with unnecessary peaks and dips and in pieces, like some horror story’s detached hand.

His heartbeat was in his ears. His scales prickled with energy. His eyes vibrated in his head. Where his belly touched the wood was turning to a pool of void darkness. Around Nico, blackness reigned.

An abrupt chill, beginning under his chin, spread along his jaw and choked off his breathing. It felt slightly wet, and smelled like copper and steel.

Nico looked up. Octavian looked down. The tip of his sword moved to leave a faint pink line and a thin trail of Will’s blood on Nico’s skin.

“The Ghost King,” Octavian said softly.

Nico glared at him.

“Nothing to say?” Octavian asked.

Nico bubbled something in mermish that, even to Will, sounded like nothing less than a carefully thought-out and lovingly put-together string of brutal, whipping swears.

Octavian jerked his sword, and Nico lifted his head a little higher to avoid the deadly tip digging any further into his neck. He wanted to leap up and snap Octavian in half. He should. He should also be scared.

“Does emotion enhance the potency of a mer-person’s tears, Will?” Octavian demanded, never taking his eyes off Nico.

“How should I know?” Will retorted from where he was being crushed by the man Nico recognised as Octavian’s lackey, Kahale.

“I just thought,” Octavian mused, tilting Nico’s head to the side curiously with his blade, “maybe you’d have found out, this one being in love with you and all.”  

Surprisingly, it was Nico who snarled, while Will’s ears brightened. He stared at Octavian incredulously.

“Please,” Octavian scoffed. “I’m not stupid.”

“That’s funny,” Nico said, “because your face-”

Octavian repositioned his sword meaningfully. Nico smiled, and it was a dangerous, promising smile, that said something was coming to get Octavian.

“-suggests otherwise.”

Octavian’s expression flashed for a moment, his eyes narrowing and brows drawing together in a way that said he’d make Nico regret being born. Then, it cleared. Like sunshine, beaming out from behind a cloud. Nico wanted the cloud to come back – Octavian’s sunshine meant something awful for the rest of them.

Meaningfully, Octavian’s sword retreated, leaving Nico a moment to slump before his arms began shaking. A brief gesture to Kahale however, and Nico was straining to get higher, get up, dance on his fins, _anything._

Kahale’s arms moved easily, pulling Will Solace to his feet and baring his throat. Will struggled, growling intermittently and fruitlessly trying to wrench himself out of Kahale’s hold, until Octavian put the sword to his neck before looking back to Nico, smiling. Will went still, eyes locked on Nico.

“Does emotion enhance the potency of mer-people’s tears, Nico?” Octavian asked. “Will’s life depends on your answer.”

Nico _felt_ like crying. His was _furious,_ and _sore,_ and running on so much pent-up adrenaline he might flip his fins or scream or explode. He hadn’t considered anything like _this_ happening, his emotions getting away from him this badly.

And then, Will. Depending on Nico’s answer, he’d either die right there right then, or be doomed to a life of being Octavian’s pin-cushion for Nico’s benefit. They’d both have a miserable, eternal existence where every day Will would be gored like a pig and Nico would have to watch, have to cry, and have to heal him for the next day.

Theoretically.

“I…”

Nico looked at Will, who was watching him from the corner of his eye with a fiery intensity. But, not like the dead man he might end up being, who had his eyes on a lifeline and was desperate for it. Will was watching Nico like he would never see him again, and was trying to memorise his face. In that second, in that moment, Nico wanted one thing.

“I want legs.”

Octavian blinked. Kahale blinked. Will blinked.

“What?”

“I want legs,” Nico repeated. Rolling onto his back, head balanced so he could still see the three of them, Nico’s peripheral scanned the rigging of the ship. “If I had legs, I would have already killed your crew, Octavian. I would have thrown them over the side – all at once, so it wasn’t obvious.” He was trying to keep his fury under wraps, channelling it into a hideous grin. “Then, I would have climbed the sails and waited for the best time to intervene. Maybe add a distraction in there, too. In the form of, oh, I don’t know, a merman prince?”

Octavian’s knee-jerk reaction to the revelation of Nico’s plan was to bury his sword in Will’s chest.

  


	14. Sun-Kissed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Murder in this chapter. Don't know what level of graphic, but you've been warned

**Chapter 14:**

**Sun-Kissed**

Jason dropped from the rigging, his boots slamming into Octavian’s weapon. The blade went hilt-deep into the deck instead of into Will, which Nico would remember as a very near thing.

Lou, shrieking something wild and course, came flying down, clinging to a rope with her feet out and knees bent. She barrelled into Kahale, her heel hitting his shoulder like a ton of cement. The sound of his bone snapping was heard by everyone on the ship, and Nico almost winced sympathetically.

Will, his clothes torn and dangerously bloody, was thrown from Kahale’s arms like a doll. He tumbled across the deck, away from Nico and away from Octavian.

Butch thundered down beside his Captain, helping him to his feet with surprising gentleness.

In the middle of the ship, Jason had gone full savage on Octavian. Nico watched, envious, as Jason’s fist connected with Octavian’s nose, then his stomach, then his face again. Octavian, in true rat fashion, squeaked horribly and tried to run. Jason leapt after him, tackling him to the floor with a scowl.

“Wait wait wait,” Octavian said, holding up his hands. His eyes had a wild look in them as he twisted around underneath Jason’s weight.

Lou, after checking Kahale was down and was staying down, stormed over Nico. She bent down, meaning to help him up or carry him, but Nico pursed his lips and stubbornly refused out of sheer pride. Then he realised that clawing his own way over to the party would be even less dignified and so, grudgingly, he allowed Lou to pick him up.

Butch had helped Will over to the scene, and now Will was standing over Octavian, his expression one that didn’t particularly belong on his face. It was almost malicious, sort of hard and cold. Butch set him down and Will crouched beside Octavian, staring at him with his unnerving look.

“I wish I had nothing to say to you,” he said, and his voice matched his eyes – flat, imperial and merciless.

“Will-” Octavian began.

“You’re the reason I can’t go back home,” Will cut him off. With every word, his hand was inching towards Jason’s belt, where Jason’s sword was sheathed. “You poisoned my name, took my position and ran me out of town.” His voice rose as he continued, “Then you started hunting me down, to stop me doing the one thing that would redeem me. Well, guess what, Octavian?”

Jason’s sword made a _shick_ noise as Will yanked it out of its scabbard.

“I don’t need redemption.”

“I-If you kill me,” Octavian said, “you’ll never be free. They’ll always be after you.”

Will scoffed. His chilly exterior was melting – he couldn’t keep it up. Being lordly wasn’t in Will’s nature, and Nico found that he preferred this kind of casual revenge to the cruel one Will had seemed to be heading towards before.

“I’m a pirate,” Will said. “There’s always someone after me anyway.”

Then he looked to Nico, perched in Lou’s arms.

“And now the Prince of the Underworld is on my side. Right, Nico?”

Nico smirked in answer.

“Right, let’s get this over with.”

Will shoved Jason’s sword between Octavian’s ribs, through his heart, with no more ceremony than he’d offer a dinner steak. Octavian convulsed for a moment, mouth falling open in a shriek that turned to a gurgle that fell into a single, heavy cough and a mouthful of blood splattering down his chin.

Everyone stared down at him for a moment before Butch said, “Well, there we go.”

Will turned around, not sparing a look over his shoulder at his half-brother and heading straight for the edge of the ship. Nico could see, from where he was still in Lou’s arms, the huge sigh that heaved Will’s shoulders. Nudging her, Nico jerked his head in Will’s direction. Lou grinned and started over.

Very soon, Nico was sat on the railing, his tail dangling over the side. It glittered in the slowly setting sun; the scar from where Will’s sword had pinned his fin to the deck was barely visible anymore.

“Thank you, Nico,” Will said, shifting himself so his hip rested on the wooden side and he could look Nico in the eye. “For coming back. I don’t-”

His shoulders heaved in that heavy sigh again.

“I don’t see myself working without you.”

“Someone has to protect your dumb ass, Solace.”

And Will finally grinned, his tooth-flashing, sun-absorbing grin that lit his face with a gentle glow. Son of the sun god. Apparent traitor and pirate and kidnapper of mermen that he wouldn’t hurt. A lot of things that Nico knew, and a lot of things that Nico didn’t know all at once.

“Can I kiss you?”

Will’s grin widened. Nico put his hand on Will’s undamaged cheek, touching him gently but surely. Will’s eyes were sparkling, and Nico’s probably were too.

Will’s lips were chapped, but they were warm, like a summer beach. Nico had to smile at how typically _Will_ it was. Gingerly, Nico hooked his fingers under Will’s jaw, making sure he wasn’t missing out on any potential proximity with his pirate.

“You two are really cute and I hate to do this, but Will, you’re bleeding all over the place, and Nico, you’re not much better.”


	15. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End

**Chapter 15:**

**The End**

“ _NICO!”_

Nico rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, smiling at the person in the Iris message. Will’s hand was on his shoulder, keeping him steady.

“Hey, Percy,” Nico said.

“ _Nico, oh gods. We got the council approval – we’re coming to get you. I swear to Poseidon I will take out Solace myself-”_

“No.”

Percy blinked several times before repeating, “ _No?”_

Nico nodded. “No, Percy. It’s okay.” Grinning up at Will, he said, “I’m coming down to visit as soon as the sun rises.”

“ _What?”_

Nico rolled his eyes. Honestly, Jackson. “I’m going to put it simply for you, Percy. Will is not a bad guy. He got framed for something his half-brother did, and he was just trying to fix it.”

“ _Do you not remember how he_ kidnapped _you!”_

Nico shrugged. “Water under the bridge.”

“ _Did you just… for the love of the gods.”_

Nico looked up. Beside him, Will was grinning down. The cut Octavian had left on his cheek was sticky with some green salve he had whipped up, and it was healing remarkably well. Underneath his loose tunic the rest of his wounds were wrapped, and he had insisted on rubbing ointment on _and_ bandaging Nico’s friction burns and scrapes, even though Nico had said he could fix himself just fine.

“I want to do something for you,” Will had said.

“Don’t attack the ship, Percy,” Nico warned his cousin, who was having a meltdown on the other end of the call. “I won’t have you drowning my pirate.”

Will swooped down, pecking Nico’s cheek with a smug look on his face. Percy started going through the motions of having a heart attack.

“ _What in Hades shiny underpants is going on_!” Percy shrieked, and that was about when Nico cancelled the call. He would leave that particular party to Annabeth, to whom, once he arrived back in Half-Blood City, could be relied upon to rationally explain the complexities of this… thing.

Will sat down beside Nico then, contentedly watching the pink streaks that announced Apollo’s arrival to the world begin to cross the horizon. He wrapped his arm around Nico, nudging him closer and leaning into his side.

“Will,” Nico said uncertainly. “What… did Octavian do to you?”

Will shifted for a moment before answering.

“Lots of things. He is – was – a very persuasive speaker if he was speaking to the right people. I was higher up on the familial power tree than he was, and he wanted what I had. He blamed the murder of one of Jupiter City’s specimen mermaids on me, and he had a big enough following that I was immediately convicted.” He hugged Nico tighter. “I ran. Took some of my friends, and stole a ship. I decided that if I was going to be hunted down, a criminal from my city, I was going to earn it.”

Now he turned his head, curls resting on Nico’s cheek and eyes looking shamefully at the floor.

“I was going to use you, I suppose. To become a feared pirate, the best on the ocean. Immortal. I was going to show you off to Jupiter City and make then rue the day they exiled me.” He sighed. “I had a lot of plans.”

“Well, you can still be the best pirate on the ocean,” Nico said, half serious, half teasing. “But with me, instead of using me.”

Will gave a silent laugh, the one that’s just a smile and a puff of air. “Sounds fantastic. Where do we start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for getting this far, dealing with me and my bad updates and life. I'm sorry if it's bad, or is rushed, but I needed this off my chest.
> 
> See you all next time!
> 
> Frost Out!


End file.
